Apparatus for fumigating, deodorizing, and disinfecting sewers and the like.



G. E. BEEMAN.

APPARATUS FOR PUMIGATING, DEODOBIZING, AND DISINFEGTING SBWERS AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED MAILZZ, 1910.

1,034,862. Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

OOOOGOOC) OOOO OOOOO O G O UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE E. IBEEMAN, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOB TO THE SEWER DEODORIZING COMPANY.

APPARATUS FOR FUMIGA'IING, DEODORIZING, AND DISINFECTING SEWERS AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 22, 1910. Serial No. 551,019.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE E. BEEMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, county of Hennepin, and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Fumigating, Deodorizing, and Disinfecting Sewers and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for fumigating, deodorizing and disinfecting sewers or the like.

The object of the present invention is the provision of an apparatus for fumigating, deodorizing and disinfecting sewers or the like, whereby formaldehyde generated from the vaporizing of wood alcohol in contact with hot platinum is either directed to the interior of a sewer manhole or is directly generated therein, thereby destroying all disease germs and poisonous gases and the like rising within the manhole and thus eliminating a very dangerous element in cities, towns and other settlements where sewers exist.

The invention contemplates the provision of a novel apparatus for generating dry formaldehyde gas and is especially adapted for use in sewer manholes.

The accompanying drawing represents, in vertical section, the apparatus.

The walls of a manhole of an ordinary sewer are denoted by 1 and the preferred top or cover by 2. The mud basin or pot 3 which has perforations for the escape of the water may be connected to the cover 2 but is, by preference, secured to the tubular shell 4. which is provided with a flange 4 by which it is extended within the manhole and is held by the cover 2. The mud pot 3 may be held on supports t on the interior of the shell 4.

The shell 4 has a funnel shaped or bafiled false bottom 5 which is provided with an opening 5. A conical baffle 6 is disposed below the bottom 5 and in such relation to the opening 5 that all water and other fluid draining from the bottom 5 strikes the bafiie- 6 and drains therefrom. Below this bafile is an annulus 8 which has an inner conical surface 8 from which the fluids passing from the battle 6 are directed, and from this surface or baflle 8 the fluids are directed onto the conical bafiie or cap 7 from which they pass down into the sewer, the lower face of the annulus 8 being sloped at 9 for the more convenient passage of the fluids. The annulus 8 may serve as a storage reservoir for the wood alcohol 8", but other reservoirs could be utilized for this purpose The font 11 which contains the wick 14: is provided with a cup 12 exposed to the atmosphere which has a tube 12* leading up into the annulus 8 and containing a seat for a valve 15 on a valve-stem which has a screw adjustment at 10, whereby the valve may be set to allow any desired outflow of the alcohol 8 into the cup 12, it being understood that a trap is thereby provided so that as fast as the wick 1 1 burns the alcohol, a fresh supply will be constantly maintained, the level being always kept the same in the font 11 and cup 12.

Surmounting the font 11 is a platinum disk or mat 13 which receives the alcohol vapor arising from the wick 14 and thereby on account of being initially heated being continually kept hot by chemical action and vaporizing the wood alcohol, generates dry formaldehyde gas which escapes around the edges of the battle 7, as indicated by the arrows and is, by the draft, drawn upwardly across the surfaces 7, 8 6 and 5 and through the mud pot 3 out through the perforations in the cover 2, mingling with and deodorizing, fumigating and disinfecting all the sewer gas rising through the manhole, the formaldehyde gas and sewer gas having such affinity that all germs in the sewer gas are destroyed. As the sewer gas can only escape through the shell 1, it is compelled to mingle with and be fumigated, deodorized and disinfected by the formaldehyde gas, and the battling effect given the commingled gases by the baffles employed insures that the principles of fumigating, deodorizing and disinfecting be carried out. Any fluids passing from the street down into the manhole are passed and re-passed by the baffles without coming in contact with the gas generator and hence the latter is not interfered with.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus for generating formaldehyde gas in sewer manholes, the combination with a shell located in the sewer manhole, of a protected WOOd' alcohol burner carried by the shell, platinum arranged for contact with the alcohol vapor arising from the Wick, and battles in the shell.

2. In an apparatus for generating formaldehyde gas in sewer manholes, the combination with the sewer manhole, of a shell located therein and so arranged that the escaping sewer gas has to pass t-herethrough, a plurality of baffles arranged one above the other Within said shell, a Wood alcohol tank in the shell and surrounding the open baflied partthereof, a guarded Wood alcohol burner and platinum for contact With the alcohol 5 CLARENCE E. BEEMAN.

l/Vitnesses A. W. HARPER, G. JORGENSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

